ANEP is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting responsible stewardship and a common vision for the preservation and restoration of our nation’s bays and estuaries. Established in 1987 by amendments to the Clean Water Act to “identify, restore, and protect nationally significant estuaries of the United States,” ANEP works with the 28 National Estuary Programs (NEPs) around the country to coordinate the national agenda and to achieve support and communication among them.
The ANEP is a trade association comprised of these 28 NEPs. It supports the local programs and serves as a unified voice for issues affecting them and the nations’ estuaries. This voluntary, community based, watershed program focuses not just on improving water quality in an estuary, but on maintaining the integrity of the whole system-its chemical, physical, and biological properties, as well as its economic, recreational, and aesthetic values.